This pyramid is made up of rainbow colored, vertical stripes that represent the five major food groups as well as oils and fats.

Orange color stands for grains
Green color stands for vegetables
Red color starts for fruits
Yellow color stands for fats and oils
Blue color stands for milk and dairy products
Purple color stands for meat, beans, fish, and nuts

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) they felt it was necessary to change the pyramid in 2005 because they wanted to do a better job of telling people exactly what they need to do in order to eat healthy. They also created a special pyramid for children. On that pyramid you can see a young girl climbing stairs in order to promote exercise.

There are other important tips to the food pyramid that is important to notice. One of the most important is to eat a variety of different foods. It is very important to be able to have a healthy and well balanced diet. This means that in some way or another you should combine all of the food groups that you eat every single day.

Before you go crazy on this though you should know not to eat too much of one types of foods. If you notice there are certain food groups that are smaller than others. That is because you need to eat less of these foods. For example; you should eat less of the oils and protein and more of the dairy, fruits, vegetables, and grains.

Look even closer and you can notice some of the colors that are wider and thinner the closer that you get to the top. This was created as an important example to show you that not every type of food group is equal. For example an apple pie would be a small thin part of the fruit color because it is made up of a lot of sugar and fat. However, just an apple would be a wide part of the fruit color because it is healthy and good for you.

Understanding the Food Guide Pyramid will help both you and your family to eat healthy foods. Teaching your children the importance of eating and enjoying their fruits and veggies will help them later in life. It will set a great example for them and it will be something that they will stay true to when they are older. Don’t forget to also teach them the importance of a daily routine of exercise to combine with their healthy new diet. Even if all they are doing is going outside and running around on the playground.